SCARVED – Flashback (2021)
SCARVED is some kind of a rarity, not only for being one of the few bands from Belgium playing classic hard rock, but also for having a front-woman. Their new album is the aptly-titled “Flashback“, as the band delivers a bunch of ’80s flavored songs driven by classy guitars and strong vocals.
From songwriting and performances “Flashback” is an old-school hard rock album with influences from the rock giants of 70s-80s, but served with a fresh sound and production.
There’s a nice smorgasbord of influences on display on “Flashback“. With some truly awesome bass work from Vincent De Laat giving way to a ripping hard-rock riff by Luc Van Dessel and soaring verses / chorus from Caro Verboven, album opener “Fly“ brings some Dio-flavored grandeur to proceedings.
Then the title track “Flashback“, with its groovy guitars beset by an energetic bassline and harmonised vocals, storms in like a forgotten Deep Purple B-side. The main riff on “Poison Kiss“ wears AC/DC’s Angus Young’s influence on its sleeve, while the gallop of “Head Over Heels“ makes us want to dig out some Di’Anno-era Iron Maiden.
Only two tracks on the album identify it as belonging to 2021 (or any time after 1986, for that matter): “Lockdown“ and the bonus track “Catch Me Offline“.
The former features the most ferocious riff on the record and suitably pissed-off lyrics, with a modern hard rock sound. And the swaggering stomp and playful vocal/bass/guitar interplay, along with the less serious subject matter, makes “Catch Me Offline“ catchy.
At the end of the day, SCARVED know exactly what they are, and this isn’t music designed to be picked apart by music journalists or the comments section. Where this record really shines are the moments where you can almost smell the leather, sweat and beer of a rammed pub gig.
This is music played by true rockers, for fans of hard rock’s heyday ; it’s damn good fun and it doesn’t need to be anything more than that.
Highly Recommended
01. Fly
02. Flashback
03. Schizofrenia
04. Nightshift
05. Poison Kiss
06. Head Over Heels
07. Rising Soul
08. Lost In Space
09. Lockdown
10. Catch Me Offline (Bonus Track)
Caro Verboven – Vocals
Luc Van Dessel – Guitars / Backing Vocals
Vincent De Laat – Bass / Backing Vocals
Kjell de Raes – Drums / Backing Vocals
BUY IT
mvdb2b.com/s/ScarvedFlashback/SR-0271
